About the Changemaker Grants
Are you involved in the field of integration and peaceful coexistence? Do you need financial support and professional coaching? Do you have any ideas for strengthening your organisation and making it more equal? Then apply for a Changemaker Grant from “ici. here together.” by 21 March 2025.
Key information at a glance
- The call for applications for our Changemaker Grants will run from 27 January to 21 March 2025.
- In May 2025, the jury will select 10 to 15 associations and organisations to receive funding and expert support from “ici. here together.” until the end of 2027.
- The grants range from CHF 60,000 to CHF 150,000 per project. They are paid out over three years.
- The selection process assesses whether projects cover a broad range of integration topics, taking regional diversity into account.
What are the Changemaker Grants?
The Changemaker Grants from “ici. here together.” are your chance for support if you want to develop as an organisation and are willing to share your experiences with others. You have two main objectives:
Celebrating and strengthening voluntary work
- Better supporting volunteers and appreciating their work
- Defining who coordinates and is responsible for volunteering
- Strengthening the skills of volunteers
Promoting equal collaboration
- Critically scrutinising structures and processes
- Making information accessible to all
- Promoting diversity in decision-making groups and enabling greater co-determination
Through the Changemaker Grants, “ici. here together.” supports creative ideas and measures, which are developed and implemented with the target groups.
Everything you need to know to apply for a Changemaker Grant:
Angela Zumbrunn, Programme Manager for “ici. here together.”
Photo: Singa Switzerland (zVg)
Who can apply for a Changemaker Grant?
“ici. here together.” supports non-profit associations and organisations in the following areas:
“Here together in everyday life”
Non-profit organisations that bring people with different cultural experiences together to strengthen social cohesion.
“Growing up multilingual here, together”
Non-profit organisations that support children up to the age of six and their families in speaking their family language outside the home. This promotes the personal development of the child and diversity in society.
Photo of the 2024 community event: Nicolas Zonvi
How does “ici. here together.” help you?
“ici. here together.” supports those responsible at your association or organisation in implementing new models and ideas so that you can achieve the two development goals over the three years.
The accompanying programme includes:
- Mandatory kick-off event on 22 May 2025: Here you will get to know other organisations and meet up to exchange ideas.
- If you wish, you can take part in workshops, get advice from experienced mentors or coaches and use digital exchange platforms.
- We also offer exchange meetings where you can share your experiences, get to know other organisations and gather ideas for further development.
- The programme management of “ici. here together.” will visit you once a year.
You must meet the following criteria
1. Formal criteria
Your organisation:
- makes a significant contribution to integration and/or cultural and/or linguistic diversity in Switzerland.
- has a non-profit legal form (e.g. association, foundation, co-operative). Individuals or profit-oriented organisations are excluded.
- is based in Switzerland and its activities serve the people living in Switzerland.
- has been demonstrably active for at least two years.
- separates Management Board responsibilities and operational tasks.
Financing and budget
- The requested amount is between CHF 60,000 and CHF 150,000, spread over three years.
- The budget is viable and clearly shows how the funds will be utilised over the three years.
- Your organisation has a broad financial base and names other funding sources or partner services in the application.
2. Content criteria
Your organisation offers added value in the following areas:
- “Here together in everyday life”: associations, meeting places, groups, tandem schemes and networks bringing people from different backgrounds and cultures together, thereby strengthening cohesion.
- “Growing up multilingual here, together”: programmes that support children up to the age of six and their families in speaking their family languages outside the home too, thereby promoting social diversity.
The following assessment criteria are important for “ici. here together.”:
- Focused: the organisations clearly show which specific ideas and measures they will apply to achieve the main objectives.
- Ambitious and careful: the ideas are ambitiously planned out and carefully thought through.
- Realisable: the measures are realistic and can be implemented on time.
- Participation: members of the organisation are actively involved in the planning and implementation.
Who is ineligible?
- Individuals or for-profit organisations
- Public organisations without a non-profit partnership
- Private and public schools
- Organisations and projects based abroad
What we do not fund
- Contributions for rental costs or ongoing material costs
- Ongoing project activities that were not developed as part of the Changemaker Grants. You can submit such projects here.
- Projects that include pure communication measures without a clear connection to the object of the funding
- Research, medical services, congresses or school activities (e.g. school camps)
- Projects that pursue ideological, undemocratic or unethical goals
- Projects of no social relevance that only pursue an organisation’s internal objectives
All other criteria and relevant information can be found in the information sheet.
Information sheet
Submit your application now!
Frequently asked questions
The members of the jury have expertise and experience in the areas of integration, migration, participation, anti-discrimination and volunteering. We make sure that different perspectives are represented on the jury.
As a first step, the “ici. here together.” project team will check whether you meet the criteria. The jury, consisting of representatives from all language regions, then discusses all applications that do fulfil the criteria. It selects 10 to 15 projects to be sponsored by “ici. here together.”.
You will be notified in May 2025 via the Migros Commitment application portal.
Yes, you can submit multiple applications in the same year, both for “ici. here together.” and for Migros Culture Percentage funding. However, we will consider no more than two grants per organisation for two different projects per year.
You can apply for the “ici. here together.” Mini-Grants independently of the Changemaker Grants.
With the Changemaker Grants, we support the development of your organisation. You can submit applications for your projects on an ongoing basis through the Social Affairs Grants.
The Mini-Grants are also open to you for uncomplicated funding.
There is no guarantee of funding. The jury will select 10 to 15 associations/organisations. It is important to us that the various geographical and linguistic regions of Switzerland are represented and that we promote a variety of new ideas.
With the Changemaker Grants, we award higher sums over the course of three years. It is important to us to be in regular contact with you, learn from your experiences and provide you with the best possible support. We strengthen our community at the Kick-Off Event. We also offer exchange meetings where you can share your experiences, get to know other organisations and gather ideas for further development.
Any questions?
Do you have any questions or need help filling out the form? Please write to info@ici-gemeinsam-hier.ch or book a consultation with Valérie Amrein.